Auribus Teneo Lupum
by BlossomPrincess16
Summary: Hermione never thought that she'd end up pregnant and alone, but it seems that she is now stuck in such a predicament. She also never thought that Draco Malfoy(now a Healer and changed man)would offer to marry her and adopt -through magic- her child. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement, so why is she finding herself falling for the handsome blonde? And why is she kissing him!
1. Chapter 1

She was alone, more so than she had ever been in her entire life.

Leaning her head back, she allowed the the cool night air to calm her frantic heart, unsure of what the next course of action would be. She had never planned on this happening, though if she had been more careful she wouldn't be in this mess.

And what a mess it was.

Taking a deep breath she slowly rose from the ground, dusting off her backside and picking up her discarded robe. The party was still going inside the ballroom, though she had no desire to re-enter. It had been a mistake coming, because seeing Ron all over his new fiancée was enough to induce vomiting, though she really didn't need any help with that lately.

No, this whole night had been a mistake, but she had foolishly allowed herself to believe that she could walk right up to him and tell him of her pregnancy. She had every intention to do so, until Lavender had gushed that she was two months pregnant. Her heart had dropped to her feet and she barely had enough time to excuse herself from the well wishes of the Weasley family and friends before her legs buckled beneath her.

She had been a fool to believe that Ron loved her, to believe that he would leave his fiancée for her. She had been stupid to believe that she was in the right, and now she was the one left pregnant and alone. There wasn't any way she could ever tell him about the baby, but how could she possibly keep him from knowing the truth? She refused to abort her baby, and she knew there wasn't any way to say it was another's because everyone would want to know who the father was.

"You alright there Granger? You bolted out of there pretty quick." The voice belonged to the very last person she wanted to be around at this time.

"Get lost Malfoy. I don't have the energy to deal with you." She didn't turn around, just simply rested against the wall.

"See, I wouldn't dare leave a lady out here by herself looking the way you do." She turned around at that and lifted one perfectly filled in brow.

"Looking the way I do? Pray tell, how exactly do I look?"

"You're white as a ghost and look as if you could fall at any given time." Great, she looked as bad as she felt.

"I'm fine, just tired. You can assure your mother than you did your chivalrous duty." She just wanted him to leave her alone so she could gather her wits.

At that moment she felt her stomach lurch and she barely managed to turn before she threw up in the bushes that decorated the pathway. How long she kneeled there she was unsure, but she felt a presence at her back the whole time.

Finally the heaving stopped, though she stayed on the ground, rocking back on her bum with a soft thud.

"Yeah, I can't say I believe that you're fine there Granger." He knelt down besides her, offering her a cloth so she could wipe her mouth. She took the item from him and set about cleaning up the best she could, tampering down her embarrassment at throwing up in Malfoy's presence.

"You see, I happened to come across a file the other day while doing my rotation in OB. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it had your name on it."

Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the serious expression on his face.

"You can't say anyth-" she started, before he placed a hand up to stop her.

"Legally I can't say a word, and you know the last thing my family needs is any type of controversy."

"Then why say anything at all?" Now she was cold, tired, on edge, and hurt. Why would he even bring any of this up?

"I wasn't going to. I had assumed it was Ron's but I had also assumed it would have been a welcomed surprise; I had no idea he had gotten engaged to the blonde bimbo."

"That doesn't explain-"

"Why I said anything?" She nodded, unable to speak. "Because as soon as I saw them together and then their announcement I knew something wasn't right. I figured I had been wrong and that you must have had a new man. Of course, my original suspicions were proven correct when I saw your face. Tell me, why did you allow him to string you along?"

She was grinding her teeth so hard she feared she would chip a tooth. "It's none of your business."

He gave a half smile at that, and she felt as if something was stirring in his head.

"Now now, Granger, I'm trying to be nice."

"You? Nice? To a mudblood?" He blanched at her use of the derogatory word. To say she was surprised was putting it lightly.

"I hate that word Granger, and I haven't used it since school."

How he made her feel petty she was unsure, but she felt the need to apologize. "Sorry."

He stared at her for several long seconds before lifting a shoulder. "Accepted. Now, it seems to me that you're in a bind. It also just so happened that I know of a perfect way to fix it."

"Really? And what would that be?" She really didn't have the energy to deal with any of his crazy ideas, but she also didn't want to go back into the stupid celebration.

"It seems that no matter how hard I try, the Malfoy name still has dirt attached to it. I had foolishly believed that once my father left Britain's wizarding society the negative would have gone with him, but it seems he left a permanent stain upon our family. My mother has been a wreck the past seven years and each day it seems to get worse. So it seems I have something to offer you, and in return you have something to offer me."

"Something to offer me? Pray tell, what could you possibly have to offer me?"

"While the name has been tarnished, the money has not. I know you're buried up to your eyeballs in school debt, and working in the Muggle Born Relations department at the Ministry doesn't pay nearly enough to tackle your debt and rent. To add a child on top of that would be even more disastrous." He stated the misery her life had become so easily, like he was telling her the weather.

"On the other hand, I have more money than I know what to do with, and a huge home that longs for a family."

She narrowed her eyes at him, because surely he wasn't going to suggest what she thought he was. "What are you getting at? I'm well aware of my financial struggles, so I don't need you to restate them to me."

"What I'm getting at is how we could help each other, while helping ourselves." He raised his brows at her, and she knew without a doubt what he was suggesting.

"Why in the hell would I ever consider marrying you?" He had to be drunk, or something.

"Because you need support and I need something to help my family name, which in turn will help my mother."

"I'm muggleborn, if you've forgotten. I doubt your mother would be thrilled if you brought home me home, carrying a bloodtraitor's child no less." Surely he was kidding, because he was being completely mental.

"First off, my mother hasn't ever really cared about blood status; that was all my father's doing. Second, while Ron may be the biological father, there is a way to make the child a Malfoy magically. Blood Adoption counts for far more in our world than biology, and it can be done while the child is still in the womb."

Her eyes widened at that, because it was something she had never heard of before. "What in the world is Blood Adoption?"

He gestured to a bench to their right, and she found herself following the blonde man, sitting down besides him.

"Blood Adoption was created during a time when Pure Blood women were having a hard time conceiving a child with their Pure Blood husband. It was decided, that in order to keep their lines pure, that a form of Blood Magic would be created to adopt children born to women who carried a non Pure Blood child. While biologically the child would be a half blood, magically he or she would be Pure Blooded. It precedes any claim the biological father would have, and the child would take on the traits of the magically adopted parent."

"How is that even legal? Or possible?" Surely she would have heard of such a thing in all her research.

"Legal?" He let out a short laugh. "Blood Adoption is a spell that is passed down generation to generation, to insure the survival of the family line. The Ministry has no control over family magic, so it has never been something that could be outlawed."

She sat there stunned, not only because of what Malfoy had said, but because for the first time in a long while she felt a flicker of hope.

And she felt so ashamed that she was finding hope in Malfoy.

"If you agree, we can perform the Adoption tonight, and begin planning our bonding ceremony in the morning."

"Wait. Tonight? Are you crazy? We've never gotten along, and now I'm to believe that you want to adopt my child and bond with me?" Surely he wasn't that crazy.

"I'm not crazy, at least not entirely."

"I can't decide something like this tonight! I still don't believe that your being truthful!"

He sat and looked off in the distance for a long while, before turning back to her. "In the morning I have a shift at St. Mungo's and it'll last until the late evening. I'll come by your apartment afterward with the family book that the Blood Adoption rite is in and let you see it and study it. That'll give you almost 24 hours to think and decide, and if after you see the book you still want to move forward we will. If not, then I'll leave and never mention this again."

He seemed so sincere and she felt so desperate that she found herself agreeing, even shaking on it.

She felt like she was making a deal with the devil himself.


	2. Chapter 2

You guys! I have never had such an amazing reaction to a story before! I can't believe this little idea has more than 100 follows and 20 reviews! I'm seriously speechless!

If you left a review logged in and I haven't replied, I'm so sorry! I was doing so good and then work got a little crazy, but hopefully I'll have some free time tomorrow to write you guys back. It means the world to me that anyone even wants to read something I've written, and I love communicating with every one of you.

There was a guest review that had some issues with the way that I've characterized Hermione, but hopefully this chapter has cleared up anything people may have been wondering.

Okay, now that's all that's out of the way, onward to chapter 2!

..00..

Hermione woke the next morning with a pounding headache and an insatiable need to pee.

Thankfully it was Saturday, so she didn't have to go into the office, though she did have paperwork that she needed to get ahead on if she wanted the next week to be a little less insane. She, of course, could have gone into a better paying department within the Ministry, but she knew her place was in Muggleborn Affairs.

She had been lucky, because her family had been nothing but supportive when she received her Hogwarts letter, but there were plenty young witches and wizards that didn't have it so easy. Just last week a young witch's file had been brought to her desk and when she opened it her heart had felt like it was ripped into two pieces.

She was twelve, and when she had been brought back home after her first year at Hogwarts her family had come to pick her up, only to throw her in their basement and refuse to let her out. When she didn't show up for her second year and no word had been heard from her or her family, they had sent a pair of aurors to investigate. They found the young girl nearly dead and skeletal. When she had gone to visit her at St. Mungo's she had been completely withdrawn and on the edge of death. Thankfully in the past month she had made a nearly complete recovery, and had plans to catch up with her year later on.

Sadly, cases like hers weren't abnormal.

Once her bladder had been relieved she decided to run a bath and have a good soak. She poured a relaxing bubble bath into the water, and stripped down as the tub filled up with water and suds. She hoped that the warm liquid would sooth her aching body and help clear her mind.

As she sat in the cooling water her mind drifted back to the previous night - and what one Draco Malfoy suggested.

She had done some research in the few books she had on blood magic, but there had only been vague mentions of Blood Adoption, and nothing concrete. She had to wait until Malfoy made an appearance, and she really had no idea when he would show.

A few hours later she had finished her bath and had started cleaning her small flat. Malfoy had been right when he said she could barely afford to pay her student debt and rent on her salary, but she didn't regret it. She knew at this vary moment she could walk into the Ministry and ask to be transferred to a more lucrative department and within the week the change would be made. In fact, she got offers to transfer almost weekly, if not at least monthly, but she didn't want to do something for money.

No, she wanted to help people.

But now she was faced with the very real fact that she was pregnant by a man who got married a few days after getting her that way. She also had to face the fact that her flat was too small for a baby and the only way she could get a bigger one was to accept a job offer to work in a department that she didn't want to be in.

Or she could do the unthinkable and marry Draco Malfoy.

She flopped down on her worn couch and leaned her head back. She wouldn't deny that he was an attractive man, nor would she deny that he had changed a lot since the war.

The fact that he was training to be a healer was proof enough of that.

She pulled out the files of parchment and dipped her quill into the ink pot that she kept on her coffee table and began to go over the three files she had brought bike with her.

How long she sat there, she was unsure, but suddenly her fireplace lit up and Draco's head appeared.

"Hey Granger, is it a good time to come through?"

She stared at his head for a while, before shaking hers to clear her mind and telling him that he could go ahead and come through.

She pulled her legs up and tucked them under her as he stepped through the fireplace. He had on a standard white robes of a student healer and it surprised her to see him look so - different.

"Sorry I'm a bit late; we had an emergency last minute and I still had to run home and grab the book the spell is in." He sat down next to her and she had to take a breath to steady herself.

"It's alright, I've had things to keep me occupied."

He pulled out a bag from his robes and from there he brought forth a large tome, with what looked like aged leather as the cover. "Here is the family book the spell is in. I've bookmarked the page, so you should be able to find it easily. Plus, it isn't good for a non Malfoy to go flipping through a family book."

She took it reverently, surprised that he truly was handing over an ancient Malfoy tome. As close as she use to be to the Weasley's, they had still never allowed her to view any of their family books.

She opened the book straight to the page that he had marked and began reading, drinking in every word and wand movement.

It was real. Her baby - Ron's baby - could actually be adopted by blood while still in the womb. He or she would resemble a Malfoy and have all the legal ties to the family.

Hell, Ron wouldn't have any way to claim any rights to the child.

She looked up to see Draco - when did he become Draco in her head? - staring into the flames of the fire. "I don't know if I can do this."

He looked over at her and frowned. "What about it don't you think you can do?"

She sighed, shutting the book. "Well, first off you've hated me ever since you met me. Second, even if you blood adopt my baby, he or she still won't be a pureblood. And lastly, what would happen if Ron ever found out? He would be devastated knowing he had a child, but held no claim."

He studied her for a moment. "I don't hate you, and it was never you that I hated anyways; it was simply that everything you represented was something I had been told I should hate. Secondly, I don't give two shits if my child is a pureblood; magic is magic. And lastly, after everything he's done, do you really think he as any right to your child? He made his choice, very publicly I may add, so do you really think he would ever try to claim any child he had with you?"

She froze at his words, not knowing which bombshell he dropped to focus on first. She knew, deep down, that he didn't hate her though it was odd to hear him vocalize it. She also knew that Ron wouldn't want anything to do with this baby, he had made that clear when he chose Lavender over her. She had gone to him the day before he wed to try and tell him, but he had adamantly said that he chose Lavender and she was the one he wanted to start a family with - not her. It broke her heart, but she had decided to at least tell him about the baby, until he announced that his wife was pregnant, all the while pointedly ignoring her.

He had made his decision, and she wasn't it.

Then there was the fact that he didn't care if his child was a pureblood.

"Granger, can I ask you something? And will you be honest?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at the blond man. "Might as well, if - and I mean IF - I go along with this you'll end up knowing a lot anyways."

"Why did you allow yourself to become the other woman?"

"Because at first I wasn't." It's something no one knew, because they had chosen to keep it a secret.

Or, she thought they both had.

"What do you mean by that?" He had sat up, elbows resting in his thighs.

"After the war ended Ron and I 'got together'. We never told anyone because we didn't want the questions or the media to get ahold of the story. I left for school and he went into auror training, so he would just visit me off and on. After I finished and came back I thought we would start telling people, but he never wanted to even talk about that topic. Seven months ago the first picture of him with Lavender was printed and I exploded on him. I broke it off, but stupidly allowed him to come and see me two months ago - and that's how I got where I am now." It felt good to get it all off her chest, and she settled back into the couch, much more comfortable than before.

Draco sat next to her in silence, in shock she supposed.

"So let me get this straight. You've been with him since the end the war, and he leaves you for the blond bimbo, and you take him back one more time? Why would you sell yourself so short?" He looked over at her like she had two heads, and she supposed a lot of other people would be looking at her the same way.

"I loved him for years, Malfoy, and I had a moment of sheer stupidity which I am now paying the consequences for."

He looked at her for a long while, before sitting back and crossing his ankles. "I think I can understand."

She furrowed her brows. "Really?"

"Yes, really. My mother followed my father even when he joined the Dark Lord for the second time, so I know a thing or two about the things people who are in love do."

"Look, let me just get this out while we're having some truth time - why are you doing this? Why would you want to marry me and go through a blood adoption for a child that you haven't even met?" There wasn't any use in going forward until she knew his real motives.

"My family name is shit, my mother is a wreak because of it, and my father drinks himself into a stupor most nights to drown out the nightmares. I thought I could show society that we aren't who my father was, but so far it hasn't worked." He sat up and turned so that he was facing her. "I hadn't planned on even talking to you until I saw you getting sick in the bushes, but then I realized that we could help each other out - you can stay in the low paying department you seem to love so much, and I can elevate my family's name."

He took a deep breathe and reached for one of her hands that had been resting on her lap. "Grang- Hermione, will you do the honor of being my wife? To allow me to adopt the child still in your womb and raise he or she as my own? Will you allow me to offer yo the comforts the Malfoy money can buy, and in return will you help bring respect back to the family name?"

She sat in shock, not expecting him to actually ask her in that way, at this very moment.

Part of her was screaming to say no, to jerk her hand away and tell him she didn't need his help. But the other part, screaming louder than the first voice, told her to trust him, to help him and allow him to help her. It told her she could help so many more muggleborns this way and that her child would never want for anything.

Could she really make a life altering decision in the span of twenty four hours?

She gripped the hand that held hers, looking up to meet Draco's icy gaze. "I will."

Somehow she found herself in the man's arms, with him muttering 'thank you' over and over. Maybe this was the most idiotic decision she had ever made, but in that moment she felt more secure than she had in a very long time.


	3. Chapter 3 - Halloween Special!

Surprise! Happy Halloween everyone!

I though, what better way to celebrate this holiday then to post an extra chapter of this story!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Halloween!

P. S.

Thanks to the lovely Strawberry9212 for point out some inconsistencies with a few things! I'll be going back and correcting them soon so if anyone else has noticed, I promise they will be fixed!

Enjoy!

..00..

Hermione sat at her desk with her head in her hands, willing herself not to to be sick.

Her co worked, Alfred, just had to bring in some type of foul smelling food for his breakfast and every whiff she got of it made her want to vomit. She glanced over at his desk to see if he was finished and had to stifle a groan when when she saw that he wasn't even half done.

Her morning sickness, which to be honest was all day sickness, had been getting better but strong smells still made her want to be violently ill.

She sighed and got up from her desk, heading to the restroom in hopes of getting away from the smell. Thankfully, since today was Halloween and the wizarding world had an amazing sense of humor, she only worked a half day so she only had to muster through a few more hours.

Not that she planned to do anything though - unless you count curling up with a good book and a hot cup of tea.

When the clock hit 12 she packed up her things and made a beeline for the floo network, hoping to beat the crowd that was sure to form soon. All she wanted was to go home and relax and pretend that none of the insanity that her life had become was real.

Denial wouldn't do her any good, but made her feel better for a small amount of time.

She flooed home, shrugging out of her robes as soon as she stepped out of her fireplace. She made her way to the kitchen and put on a kettle to boil before making her way to her bedroom to get out of her work clothes and into a pair of fleece pajamas.

An hour later she had a blanket over her legs and a book in hand when her fireplace flared to life, and she looked up to see Malfoy's head.

"Granger, its Halloween! What are you doing at home and in pajamas?" She could tell he had just gotten off his shift, or maybe he was about to go in, as he was in his standard green robes.

"Honestly, it's just another day; I don't understand why people get so crazy about it." She huffed out, setting her book aside.

She saw Malfoy shake his head before the fireplace flared to life again and this time he actually stepped through.

"I didn't say you could come in."

He scoffed, shrugging out of his robes and moving to hang them on the peg by the fireplace. "Granger, that baby in your belly is about to have my blood and we'll soon be married, I think I should be able to come in as long as I can see you're decent." He sat down next to her and picked up the book she had laid next to her, shaking his head when he saw it was a romance novel. "Seriously? I didn't take you for the romance novel type."

She jerked it out of his hands and put it on the end table next to her. "Shut it. What are you doing here anyways?"

"It's Halloween and there's a huge party at St. Mungo's that we'll be late for if you don't get your behind up and put in a costume."

She stared at him. "I'm not going to a party."

"Sure you are. Just go out on a dress and I'll transfigure it into a costume; it's what I'm doing."

"It's not the costume, Malfoy, I'm just not going to a party."

He sighed and shook his head. "Granger, if you want anyone to actually believe that this baby is mine we're going to have to be seen together and this is the perfect opportunity. We don't have to stay long, and it's a good first outing away from your friends. Plus, it's for a good cause."

She frowned as she realized he was right and she felt like stomping her foot in frustration. She didn't want to go out and have people recognized her and deal with the looks she would get from being with Malfoy.

Of course, she would have to get over that pretty soon she supposed.

"I can tell by the look on your face that you know I'm right, so go change and I'll take you to dinner before we go."

Her stomach growled at his words and he began to laugh softly, so she got up with a huff and made her way to her bedroom, his laughter growing louder with her actions.

Grumbling she searched through her closet, pulling out a simple black A line dress that she had bought last year for a party Harry had thrown. It wasn't of the best quality, but it looked good on her and that's all that mattered.

Truth was, she preferred to save her money rather than spend it on material things like clothing.

She emerged from her room to see Malfoy now dressed in green scrubs and a surgical mask hanging from his neck.

"Very original." She told him as she rolled her eyes, on to gasp as her dress went from knee length and black to a matching set of scrubs. "Seriously? Matching costumes?"

He laughed and nodded his head. "We need to make a splash, now come on, I have reservations at a restaurant downtown for 5."

"What if I refused to go?"

He shrugged. "I was going off the thought that you wouldn't."

He moved to take her arm before she felt the familiar pull of apparition. She opened her eyes to see that they were on a small side street on Diagon Alley and she shivered with the sudden burst of cold from the wind.

Malfoy ushered them to the restaurant - which of course had to one of the most expensive ones in the area - and opened the door for her.

She chose to ignore the stares that they were getting, and she couldn't pretend that they were because of their costumes, because most of the occupants were also in costume.

They sat down and were handed menus, her eyes going straight to the fish and chips.

"Oh, thank Merlin, they have fish and chips."

She looked up to see Malfoy giving her an odd look, but he chose to remain silent.

After they ordered they chatted about mundane topics and she was infinitely thankful that in the past few years she had become comfortable around the man. Due to him being an apprentice healer she had dealt with him on many occasions when she had to go to St. Mungo's to interview patients. At the beginning it was horridly awkward, but soon she found that he truly did seem to care about the kids and her opinion of him had begun to rise.

When their food came she dug in, sighing happily as she ate. She heard Malfoy laugh softly at her, but she shot him a glare and kept eating.

When they had finished their food Malfoy paid the bill and they left, making heir way to an apparition point. "Is the party at St. Mungo's, or somewhere else?"

"It's at St. Mungo's - there is a fee for tickets and it's downstairs, so all the money they get will go to the things the hospital needs."

He wrapped his arm around her and before she knew it they were at the hospital gates.

"What made you decide to go into healing?" She questioned as they made their way to the front entrance. It was something she had wondered for a while, but had never been brave enough to ask.

"I wanted to be as far away from my family's past as possible, and the opposite of killing is healing. The more I got into it, though, the more I found I enjoyed it."

"You're studying pediatrics, right?" They were walking down a long hallway that she hadn't been before, and she assumed that it was a staff hallway.

He stopped them in front of a door and opened it, leading her down the stairs. "I am. Kids are innocent.

That's all he said, but she understood, it was part of the reasons that she was in the department for Muggleborns - most cases involved innocent children.

When they emerged at the bottom of the stairs she saw that it was an empty room that had been decorated almost to the extreme. Music was blaring and there had to be over 200 people already there.

"We don't have to stay too long - just enough so we can be seen." He said as he took her arm and led her over to a table that had refreshments.

"Let's see - here is the non alcoholic punch." He reached over and poured her a glass and she couldn't help but smile at him.

"Thank you, Draco."

His eyebrows rose. "I'm Draco now? I must pour you punch more often!"

She smacked his arm lightly and laughed. "It probably won't look good for me to be calling you Malfoy, that's all."

He laughed with her and led her to an empty table. She took the time to look around and saw that most people in attendance were the upper crust of wizarding society. Normally she didn't associate with any of these people - not because she hated them, but because they simply ran in totally different circles.

"Oh toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." She uttered under her breath and she took a sip of punch.

"Kansas? Why would we be in Kansas?" Draco questioned with a confused look in his face, which caused her to giggle.

"It's a muggle movie, you wouldn't understand."

After she had calmed her giggles a couple she didn't recognize came up to their table.

"Ah, Draco, you didn't tell me you knew Miss Granger."

She raised an eyebrow at the blond, as she didn't know how this man or woman knew her enough to talk about her.

"We go way back, Healer Jordan." Ah, she had heard the name but had never put a face to it. He was the soon to be head of the hospital.

He conversed with Draco for a few minutes before patting him on the back and offering a smile to her before walking away.

The scene repeated itself over and over again, until Draco made to get up.

"Dance with me once and then we'll head out." He said as he got up and reached a hand down to her.

As much as she didn't want to dance, she didn't want to have to make meaningless small talk either, so she rose from her seat and took his offered hand.

He led them to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms, and it surprised her how comfortable she felt in them.

"Thank you for coming, it impressed a lot of people."

"Well, I'm glad me sitting at a table with you did that." She told him with a grin.

"I have to make a confession."

She raised a brow at him. "What is it?"

"I wasn't doing a rotation in OB when I found your file."

"How did you find it then?"

He sighed, and pulled her closer. "The last few times I'd seen you, you seemed to look worse as worse. I pulled your file to see if there was something wrong."

"You were worried about me?" It was hard to believe, but the idea made her feel warm. It had been a long time since she felt like someone truly cared about her wellbeing.

Don't get her wrong, she knew Harry and the Weasley's cared, but they had drifted apart through the years and she didn't see them nearly as often as she wished.

Though being around the Weasley's meant being around Ron, and that thought made her stomach turn.

"Maybe." She looked up to see a blush spread across his cheeks and it made her smile to see.

"Thank you, Draco." She reached up and gave him a soft kiss on his blushing cheek, which made said cheek turn even more red.

They finished their dance and like he said, he led her from the room and back up the stairs. Together they walked out of the hospital and to the gates, appariting them back to her flat.

"I'm surprised to say this, but thank you for forcing me out tonight. It felt good to get out and be around people."

"Well, thank you for going with me, though you may feel differently tomorrow when word gets out that we were there together."

She shrugged. "It's bound to happen eventually."

"True."

They stood awkwardly at her door, neither wanting to move away from the other.

"Well, I suppose I should go and let you get some rest." He finally said.

"Yeah, I am pretty tired."

"Uh, I work the next few days, but I'm off this coming Saturday." He looked away before continuing. "Would you want to do the adoption then?"

Her heart rate increased as she remembered what they were actually doing.

"Yeah, uh, sure. That works for me." How was she going to feel when the baby inside her belonged to Draco? The thought sent blood rushing to her cheeks.

"Okay, then I'll see you Saturday?"

"Yeah, Saturday."

He stared at her for several moments before bending down and kissing her on the forehead. "Take care of yourself and the little one."

Then with a soft pop he left, and she moved to sit down on her couch, one hand resting on her still flat belly and the other touching her forehead.


	4. Chapter 4

Oh my goodness, It's been so long! I never intended to leave this story for two months, but life just got insane.

My grandmother passed away on December 1st, and it's been a trying time. Plus, I lost all that I had written before, so I had to start from scratch. I hope this flows, and I had intended to write more details of the Blood Adoption, but I'll be honest - I just haven't had the energy.

I have some exciting things planned for this story, and hopefully it won't be two months before the next update!

..00..

Hermione sat on her couch looking around at the bare walls, taking in the dust that had gathered in the corners where she has sat tables. The couch was staying - it hasn't ever been a good piece and she was glad to see it go - but everything else of value had been packed up and either moved into storage or placed in her new home.

She placed a hand on her expanded stomach, feeling a light flutter of a kick, and smiled.

A lot had happened since the night of the Halloween party she attended with Draco. That Friday she had been invited over to the Burrow and on some crazy urge she had went. She was glad she had though, because it was that night she found out that Ron had thought she could have been pregnant - and he would have asked her to get rid of the baby.

"Can't have two babies by two different women at the same time, right?" He had said it a self deprecating joke, making her blood boil. She had known at the moment that he would never be allowed anywhere near her child, and she left even more sure of what she was about to do with Draco than she had ever been.

The next day they preformed the Blood Adoption.

It still amazed her that the baby inside her now carried Malfoy blood, and would be born into a world that was completely different than she had ever thought. Ron, while now a successful auror, still didn't make a lot of money. Sure, together they could have built a nice life, but nothing like what she was about to move in to.

Not that money was the most important thing, because if Ron had loved her she would have been happy.

At least, she had thought she would have been, though now she wasn't so sure. Ron, she was now seeing, was different than the man she thought he was. The version of the red head in her head would have never suggested "getting rid" of their baby, but it seemed the real version was just fine with the idea.

"Hey, is there anything else?" She jerked out of her daze to focus in on Malfoy, who had just stepped through the fireplace, Healer robes hanging off his left arm.

"No, I just went back through and checked everything; all that's left is this couch."

He turned his nose up at the old piece, which prompted her to giggle. "Don't look like that - this old girl served her purpose well."

"Depends on your definition of 'well'" He grumbled as he made his was over to her and reached out a hand to help her up.

Once up she turned and looked around, drinking in one final look at her first apartment.

"I wish I could be there for your first day, honestly. I planned to be off but Jones and Barker called and-"

"It's all right ." She cut him off, offering him a small smile. "Seriously. I've been to your place plenty and I'll probably just end until napping until well into the evening."

Draco had officially finished his training and was now a certified Healer, working in the emergency department.

"Well, I'll bring home some dinner. I should be off by eight, if that isn't too late."

She let out a soft laugh. "Draco, look, I knew well in advance that your job is demanding and you won't be there to cater to my every beck and call - not that I would want you to anyways." She patted her tummy, which was finally starting to swell noticeably underneath her jumper.

"Okay, well, let's get you home and then I'll leave."

Together they entered the fireplace and quickly found themselves at Draco's - well, hers too now - house. She had always assumed that he lived at his family's manor, but he had revealed that he left that place as soon as he could.

Of course, it was no mere house. The first time she saw the sprawling mansion she laughed, which of course caused Draco to look at her rather oddly, but it was just so fitting that he would leave one manor for, basically, another one.

Thankfully this one held no bad memories, nor dungeon with dark magical items that could harm her or her baby.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

Hermione turned and gave Draco an exasperated look. "Of course I will be. I've lived on my own for years and helped defeat the Dark Lord - I think a few hours alone in a new place won't test my limits."

He turned a bit pink and she held back a giggle - seriously, a giggle? How old was she! - "Thank you for caring, though. I promise I'll be fine."

He stared at her for a moment before nodding and stepping back into the fireplace.

After he left she made her way to her room - a huge area that was twice the size of her old bedroom - and collapsed on the queen size bed. She shouldn't be as exhausted as she was, but she just couldn't seem to keep her eyes open.

As she drifted off to sleep she dreamed of the day Draco forever sealed himself as part of her life. She hadn't ever been around blood magic being performed, and she hated to say that it was incredibly attractive to see him speak so confidently. He had held her hand the entire time, and she could have sworn she felt part of him travel through their connected hands and into her very being.

She slipped off into a deep sleep, one hand resting on the baby she now shared with Draco.

..00..

She woke to a gentle pressure on her shoulder.

She blinked, taking on the darkness of the room, and squinted to make out the figure sitting on the bed next to her.

"Mm, Draco?" She murmured, voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah. I brought some Chinese; are you hungry?"

She yawned, stretching as she did so. "I'm too sleepy to know, but I'm sure once I wake up I will be." She gave him a smile, though she didn't know if he could see it in the dark.

"Come on then."

He got up and reached a hand out to help her out of bed. Even in her sleep fogged brain she felt weird being led out of bed by Draco.

He had sat the food up in sitting room, and the fire roared, warming the room up nicely.

They sat in companionable silence, each enjoying the food and company.

That was, until the fireplace flared and a strange head appeared.

"Healer Malfoy, you are needed at the hospital. Mass injury - code black."

He jumped up, pulling his robes off the back of the chair and pulling them on. "I'll be right there."

The head disappeared, leaving her staring at Draco. "Code black?"

He made his way next to her and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "It's bad, I have to go. I promise to fill you in later." With that he walked out of the room to the fireplace that was connected to the floo network.

She stared at where he had been moments before and wondered what he would be walking into. She laid her head back against the chair, realizing she was in for a long night.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione had fallen asleep on the couch by the time Draco emerged from the fireplace, sleeves rolled up and blood splattered on his front. Normally his robes would have kept his shirt clean, but he had discarded them hours ago when they kept preventing him from healing the way he needed to.

It had been a blood bath, something he had only read about and been told during his many classes. A total of fifteen people had been brought into St. Mungo's and they had lost three - two of which were aurors. Apparently they had been serving a warrant for an escaped Death Eater - not one who had escaped prison, but one who had evaded it all together - when an intense battle had broken out. Why they only sent four aurors he had no idea, but it had been stupid and had cost two of them their lives.

The Death Eater, one he vaguely remembered seeing during the war, had been captured along with three accomplices. The accomplices had suffered major injuries and he was pretty sure it was some of their blood that had been splatted all over his front. It had been hard; fighting to save someone who deep down he believed deserved to die. He had glimpsed a faded black mark on one of the men's arms and he knew he had been part of the dark, which in turn made he pause before squeezing his eyes shut and forcing himself to begin healing.

It had taken more than five hours to get everyone stable - and that was with every available personnel called in to help. One of the older healers had said it had been this way a lot during the war, something that had made the man remove his glasses and rub at his temples.

Draco couldn't imagine how hard that must have been, plus wondering when the wrong person would come in and start yelling curses - which had happened. It had resulted in the death of four nurses and one healer and he couldn't even begin to think about how he would react in such a situation.

Once he had stepped out of the fireplace he zeroed in on the woman laying on the couch. It was the first time he had gotten off work and come home to someone and he found it to be a novel experience. Somehow simply seeing another human sharing the same space as he did made the trials of the night start to seep from his bones, making him very aware of how tired he really was.

He tossed his robes on one of the chairs by the fireplace and tugged at his tie. He wished he had taken it off before leaving, but now he looked down in disgust as he saw there was some sort of bodily fluid on it. Typically that sort of thing didn't bother him, but this was one of his good ties.

Sighing he made his way over to the sleeping female. Her hair was sprayed all around her and the glow from the candles turned the spiral curls into a glowing halo. She wasn't what you would consider a standard beauty, but you'd have to be blind to not find Hermione Granger attractive. Why Ron would choose a bimbo like Lavender over her he didn't know, though he counted it as a win for himself.

Deciding to clean up before trying to wake the sleeping woman he made his way down the hall and up the stairs to his room. His bed called his name, though he ignored it in favor of being clean.

There was one thing Draco Malfoy couldn't stand, and that was being dirty.

He glanced at the old clock that hung on his wall and groaned when he saw that it was two in the morning. He had another shift at the hospital that began in less than twelve hours, and he raked a hand through his hair in frustration.

Pulling off his shirt he tugged off his pants and shoes, raising his arms overhead and stretching his back once he was down to his boxers. Part of him just wanted to put some pajamas on and go to bed, but he also wanted to clean off all the blood that had splattered on his arms and he knew that the sink wouldn't do a good enough job.

So that meant it was time for a bath.

Downstairs Hermione opened her eyes once she knew Draco had gone upstairs. She had wanted to see what he looked like, coming home from an emergency, but she found that she really didn't know what to say to him.

 _Hello?_

 _Glad you're home?_

 _How was it?_

Gah, she was useless at this, so she opted to just pretend that she was sleeping and hoped he wouldn't wake her up. Thankfully after he stood in front of her for a few minutes she heard him head down the hall and up the stairs, most likely going to his bedroom. Her room was right next door, as he had shown her earlier, and she pulled herself up to a seated position before popping her back. She felt stiff all over and sighed when she realized she was probably getting too big to be sleeping on the couch. She smoothed a hand down her slightly rounded belly, content to just sit and think.

This was all so new to her and she truly didn't even know where to start. Not only had she gone from a tiny one bedroom flat to a huge house, but now the baby inside her womb carried Malfoy blood.

Her baby would be a Malfoy. What world was she living in?

Deciding that she needed to get to bed after glancing at the clock and seeing how far into the night it was, she pulled herself up and made her way up the stair, pausing at Draco's door. If she listened closely she could hear water running, making her wonder why he would be taking a shower so late into the night.

 _He did tell me to not hesitate to come and see him._

Gathering her courage she opened the door and made her way inside. She had seen it earlier, when he was giving her the grand tour, but she took her time now. Surprisingly the walls weren't some awful shade of green or silver, but rather a bright shade of beige. He had double doors that led to the balcony - one that she could access from her room as well - and the curtains where simply white. To be completely honest, it was a boring room and she wondered why he hadn't put more character into it.

Not that her bedroom in her flat had been any better.

Hearing the water turn off she decided to have a seat on his bed, sighing as she sank into the plush mattress. She hadn't tried her's out yet, but she sure hoped it was similar to the one she now sat on.

Money may not buy happiness, but it sure did buy some fantastic mattresses.

She was so lost in thoughts of mattresses that she didn't hear the door to the bathroom click open, only glancing over when light spilled into the otherwise dim room.

Draco, of course, was not expecting to see a women sitting on his bed when he emerged from the bathroom. If he had, he would have brought clothes with him and wouldn't be standing in the doorway with nothing more than a towel wrapped around his hips. Shock kept him from jumping back into the bathroom, so he instead stood there dumbly until she looked up.

The red tinge to her cheeks made him feel a tad bit better, but he still had no idea what to say. Should he act normal? Find clothes and disappear back into the bathroom? Strike up a conversation?

"I- uh- I mean..." Her stuttering made him grin and he took a breathe before moving farther into the room.

He felt her eyes on him and couldn't help it when he turned around and said, "If you wanted to see me naked all you had to do was ask."

Her eyes widened and her face got an impossible shade of red. "That's not! I mean, I just wanted to say goodnight and-"

Feeling flirty he moved closer to her and shushed her with a finger to her lips. "I'm just teasing you, Hermione."

Holding back a grin at her flustered look he made to take his finger away when she did the most unexpected thing; she _bit_ his finger. His stomach tensed at the sensation, and his blood heated at the self satisfied look on her face.

Hermione, of course, was _so_ proud of herself. First she caught him off guard by being in his room - the fact that she never expected him to come out in just a towel and how it made her stutter like an adolescent wasn't important - and then when he thought he could fluster her even more she went totally out of her comfort zone and bit his finger.

Of course, she expected him to shake his head at her or simply laugh at her audacity, but instead his hand stilled and his eyes darkened. She had started to grin up at him when she saw how he was looking at her and then for the first time she actually _thought_ about the situation she was in.

First off - She was technically carrying his baby.

Secondly - She was in his house, in his room.

Thirdly - He was naked under that towel.

And then, to top it all off, she had just bit his finger in what she thought was a playful way but what she was coming to realize was actually sexy.

At least, that's how he was looking at her; like she had just done the most sexy thing and he was _looking_ at her like she was the most desirable thing alive.

It was too much and not enough all at the same time and she was at a loss as to what she should do. Part of her wanted to run away but another part of her was telling her to do something even more crazy - like take the finger she just bit into her mouth.

Draco was, on the other hand, trying his best not to ravage the brunette sitting on his bed. Maybe it was the fact that he was exhausted and not completely in his right mind, but all he wanted to do was kiss her. She was staring up at him and he could _swear_ that he saw desire for him in her eyes, but surely he was seeing things? Surely she wasn't actually thinking along the same line that he was, was she?

How long he stood there, finger on her lips, he didn't know. He had actually lost count of the time, only aware of her and how she seemed to completely fill the space. This was stupid, insane, and so unlike him...

And then he replaced his finger with his lips, pressing them into her own and swallowing her tiny gasp of surprise. Maybe it wasn't the most intelligent thing he had ever done, but at this moment it felt like it was the best idea he had ever had. He forgot that he was only in a towel, that it was way too late to be doing anything but sleeping, and that he didn't want to rush her. He had almost convinced himself to pull away when he felt her small hand on his face and her lips moved against his. He groaned before tangling his hand in her unruly hair and kissing her more forcefully, enjoying the small sound she made in the back of her throat.

Hermione was drowning, lost in a sea of feelings that she hadn't ever really felt before. With Ron it had always felt good, but this? A simple kiss was shoving away all memories of the red head and replacing them with soft lips and blonde hair.

And it was way too much.

Gathering her wits she pulled away and shoved at Draco's shoulders before scurrying off the bed and out of the door when he moved away, not even looking back to see his shocked face. She was a coward, a lily livered coward.

And she had just kissed Draco Malfoy and ran away.


	6. Chapter 6

Two days later found Hermione trying (and failing) to avoid Draco.

The first day he had been gone by the time she woke up, and it was well into the night before he made it home.

She had been conveniently holed up in her room by that time.

The second day was much harder, as she had to leave the house right after he did in order to make it to work on time. She had almost timed it right, but she rounded the corner just as he disappeared through the floo. Seeing his face sent butterflies all around her stomach, bringing back memories of his kiss.

 _That_ was why she was useless today - it _had_ to be.

She sighed for the hundredth time before laying her quill down and deciding that it was time to call it quits. She stacked all the files she had laying on her desk up and moved them to the locked cabinet beneath her. Sitting back up she rubbed her stomach absentmindedly, wondering how long she could get away with keeping her pregnancy a secret.

 _Probably not much longer,_ she thought to herself. She already had to use glamours to keep it hidden and she really didn't want to have to keep that up for much longer. She knew she would have to suck it up and talk to Draco, but the mere thought of him brought a blush to her cheeks.

A knock at the door brought her out of her musings and she glanced down to make sure her stomach was hidden by her desk before she called for the person to come in.

She blinked several times as she stared at the blonde head that hovered in the doorway, looking more unsure than she had ever seen him look.

"I, uh, that's to say" he broke off with a shake of his head before stepping further inside and shutting the door behind him. "I figured if we want this to be believable then we'll have to be seen together and what man would let his pregnant fiancée travel home by herself." He finished with a shrug, a slight pink tinge to his cheeks.

She stared, not knowing what to say. No one had ever come to see her home and she couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that _Draco Malfoy_ was the first person to do so.

All thoughts of embarrassment faded as she gave him a genuine smile before getting up and walking over to where he stood, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck in a tight hug. She felt his arms go automatically around her waist and she pulled back enough to look up at his face. "Thank you, Draco."

Why she had avoided him for the past days suddenly seemed silly, as if something as small as a kiss could make her afraid to be around this man.

His arms tightened around her and she laid her head on his chest, just underneath his collarbone. It felt right, being in his arms, and he made her feel like he would take care of every hard thing life would throw at her. She felt protected and cherished, and she wondered why she allowed herself to ever even mess with Ronald Weasley. He was nothing compared to the man who seemed able to do the very thing the red head couldn't - be there for her.

She pulled back and dropped her arms, missing his heat as he let her go and stepped back.

"I thought you were working until tonight?" She questioned, knowing he had told her that a few days ago.

He shrugged. "Nothing was going on and my supervisor felt bad that I had worked so much back to back. I think he was afraid I would mess something major up, but I'll take it. I'm exhausted."

And he was. Now that she looked at him he had bluish purple smudges under his eyes and he was paler than normal, sure signs that he had been going on not enough sleep. She grabbed his hand and picked up her bag from her desk before gesturing to the door and saying, "let's go home."

His tired smile warmed her heart and she kept her hand firmly wrapped up with his as the exited her office and made their way to the floo. She knew she'd come into a ton of questions the next morning, but it was hard to really care anymore. Soon everyone would know if her pregnancy and then would come news of who the father was.

Might as well get the rumors started early.

After they stepped inside the fireplace together and made their way to their home - the thought still foreign to Hermione - he softly grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry for the other night. I took it too far and made you uncomfortable."

She stared into his cool grey eyes and gave him a small smile. "And I'm sorry for avoiding you."

He gave her a grin before letting her arm go and she found that she once again missed the warmth that seemed to seep out of him.

"How about we change and cook some dinner?"

She grinned at that, never before actually cooking _with_ a man. "Deal."

They trudged up the stairs, each tired but ready to spend some time together. The kiss from the other day hadn't been forgotten, but merely pushed to the back of her mind. Truth be told, it was a bit silly to be embarrassed about kissing the man who had pledged to protect her and her -their- baby. As she changed out of her work clothes she thought back and realized that the reason she had been so embarrassed wasn't the kiss itself, but rather the fact that she wanted more. She wanted more kisses and more than what they already had. She supposed deep down she felt a tad ashamed, after all it wasn't too long ago that she had thought she'd been in a committed relationship with another man.

Would people think she was loose? Especially when they knew she had gotten pregnant out of wedlock? They hadn't really spoken about marriage much after their initial conversation, though she knew he wanted to before the baby was born. Which meant that there wasn't actually a whole lot of time, as she was already a bit more than halfway through. She knew neither wanted a large ceremony, and to be honest she would be happy with it just being the two of them.

It was sad, but she really didn't have anyone important in her life anymore. Maybe she never really did, maybe they always belonged to Ron and she only got to enjoy those people while they were in each other's lives. Even if no one knew they were dating, they had always been close and even her friendship with Harry wasn't as strong as his with Ron. It seemed as if she was always the odd one out and it was nice to be on the inside instead of the outside looking in for once.

Pulling her unruly hair into a messy bun she left her room and made her ways downstairs to the massive kitchen that she guessed was rarely used.

Especially when she saw Draco looking around helplessly.

She must have laughed out loud because soon her turned towards her and gave her a sheepish grin. "I've never really cooked much, to be honest."

She laughed and walked up to him. "I haven't either, so we'll just have to make do with what we can."

Thankfully after some searching they found a frozen pizza that Draco proudly claimed that he had bought all by himself. She resisted the urge to pat him on the head like a child.

They popped the pizza into the oven and she stretched as they waited. The popping sound her back made prompted Draco to tell her to go sit down and relax; he could managed to make a frozen pizza on his own. Too tired to argue she agreed and found herself leaning back on the plush couch as she rubbed at her stomach.

She had begun feeling small kicks throughout the day, but hadn't felt any strong enough for anyone to feel besides her. Part of her loved the fact that she was able to experience something no one else could, but there was another part of her that wondered if Draco would like to feel the baby move.

"Your daddy might not even realize that he will eventually be able to feel you too." She murmured to her child, still rubbing circles overtop her t shirt.

"Who are you talking to?" She looked up to see Draco standing by the edge of the couch, peering at her curiously.

"The baby."

"Does he or she talk back?" He teased, knowing good and well that almost all expectant mother's talked to their unborn babies.

"Eventually." She said with a shrug before jumping slightly. "Draco! Come here!"

He furrowed his brows and came closer, standing right next to where she sat. She grabbed at his hand and placed it on her stomach, hoping that the baby would kick as hard as he or she had moments ago. Thankfully as soon as Draco's hand was pressed to her expanding belly the baby kicked again and his eyes flew to hers, shock written all over his face.

She smiled up at him and was surprised when he knelt down beside her and pressed his other hand to her stomach. The baby kicked once more and the look of awe on his face was enough to send her to tears, which she quickly tried to wipe away before he noticed.

"That's our baby in there." It was spoken so low she almost missed it, but she didn't and she moved one of her hands overtop one of his.

"It is." He looked up at her with an unreadable expression. She almost said something else when he rose and dropped a light kiss to the top of her head. "Thank you, Hermione."

That brought fresh tears, and she didn't even try to hide this this time. He wiped the ones that fell down her cheeks away before tugging her up and wrapping his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers.

She tucked her head under his chin and allowed his soft shirt to soak up her tears. She hoped he knew that they weren't tears of sadness, but rather tears of joy. Her heart felt constricted and she clung to him as she finally left herself believe that it would all be okay. She had never had anyone gaze at her the way Draco just had, and she refused to let anything or anyone come in between her and the man who's arms were wrapped tightly around her body.

After a few moments he pulled back and took her right hand in his and together they walked back to the kitchen to finish up their pizza.

It was so normal, but for that moment, life was perfect. She knew that there were a lot of hurdles that they would have to get through, and soon, but she didn't think about those things. She spent her whole life trying to always be once step ahead and now she just wanted to be in the moment. She just wanted to savor this feeling and lock it away so that she could keep it with her always.

Ron had broken her, but it seemed Draco was the glue that she needed to put herself back together.

.00.

This chapter was more fluffy transition rather than anything meaty, but we're getting there!

I'd like to hear what everyone thinks will happen once the wizarding world knows about Hermione and Draco. Do you think Ron will find out about the blood adoption?

Do you want him to find out? Let me know! :)

Until next time!

*Muah!*


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione huffed as she tried to stifle the laughter that threatened to bubble up. It wasn't every day that you saw a Malfoy trying to string Christmas lights on a tree, but she now had a front row seat to the sight.

And oh, what a sight it was.

They planned to get married in one weeks time, as now rumors had begun to circulate around that they were involved with one another. Several times a day she had a coworker come to her and try to stealthily get information from her, but her lips were sealed until the press release was issued a day after their wedding.

Thankfully, they planned on traveling to one of Draco's family's homes in Italy for a "honeymoon", so they wouldn't be around when the news hit. Honestly, she dreaded seeing what everyone's reactions would be, though she knew it would make no difference in her life.

"Okay, done!" She looked up as Draco hopped up and down in excitement, making her lose her battle with her laughter.

"Oh, my gosh. You look like a little kid on Christmas morning!" She tried to tame the noise she was making, but she was failing.

Draco just shook his head and moved to grab his wand. The lights they had found would be turned on with a simple spell and with a flick of his wrist the entire tree began to glow.

"We still need to get ornaments."

He nodded. "I figured I'd let you have fun with that."

She grinned at being able to decorate their tree the way she wanted. "Maybe I'll pop down and have a look around at some shops after you go into work."

Draco had finally finished his training and was now a certified pediatric Healer, something she was immensely proud of him for.

"Just be careful; the weather's taken a bad turn." She gave him a soft smile at his worry and walked over to give him a peck in his cheek.

The past few weeks they had grown more comfortable with little touches and kisses on the cheek and head. They hadn't had another _real_ kiss yet, but she hoped the next time they did she wouldn't run away.

"I will be." He ran a hand down her curly hair and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"I better go upstairs and changed before I'm late." She nodded and he dropped a kiss to the top of her head before making his way to his room to change.

She looked down at herself and decided that she look decent enough, and with a nice dress robe overtop she would be fine to run out to do a bit of shopping. She did want to put her hair up in a bun, though, as her hair mixed with snow wasn't a good combination.

And hour later found her walking the streets of Diagon Alley, concealment charm keeping her expanding stomach hidden. She supposed that after their wedding she may drop the charm, after all, eventually everyone would have to know.

How else would she explain a newborn baby?

She ducked in a shop that always had such beautiful Christmas decorations and began to browse. Draco had no real decorations, so everything would have to bought new. At first she had felt uneasy about the idea of spending his money, but he had simply told her that by going out to buy it herself she was saving him a trip.

She didn't mention that if not for her he wouldn't have any need for decorations.

She quickly picked out what she wanted and paid, thankful that the items would be delivered tomorrow morning so she wouldn't have to lug them all around. She hoped that they could decorate together, and had said as much to Draco. He had agreed and now she felt excitement grow as this would be the first time she'd ever decorated her home with someone else who wasn't her parents.

After she ducked out of the shop she shivered as she acknowledged that Draco had been right. The weather had turned to crap and she pulled the hood of her robe tighter around her head as she moved down the street. She wanted to visit one more store before heading back home, but sadly it was at the other end of the shopping area. Making quick work of the distance she opened the door to her favorite bookstore and made her way inside, sighing as the warm air hit her chilled face.

Of course the store wasn't just any store. No, it was only the biggest bookstore that this area had to offer. She wanted to grab a few books to take with her on her honeymoon and also wanted to pick something out for Draco since she had found out that he enjoyed reading nearly as much as she did. They had made it a habit to spend quiet evenings reading by a warm fire, and it was one of her favorite parts of the day.

She ran a hand over several books, stopping at a murder mystery by one of his favorite authors. She pulled it from the shelf and laid it on top of her own choices, smiling at the thought of reading on a balcony overlooking the ocean.

"Hermione?" She jerked her head around and found herself meeting the eyes of one Ginny Weasley - well, Potter.

"Ginny." Her voice sounded surprised to her own ears and she couldn't help the quick glance down at her stomach, glad to see that her charm was still in place.

Why it wouldn't be she didn't know, but it still made her feel better to check.

"I haven't seen you in a while." The redhead gave her a look that was almost filled with hurt, but Hermione couldn't fathom why.

It was Ginny that had cut Hermione from her life, after all.

"Well, I'm still out and about." It was awkward and she wanted nothing more than to duck out and head to her warm home.

Ginny stared and nodded. "How have you been?"

"Good. I've been good. Staying busy and such. You?"

"I'm good."

Well, now what?

"Look, Hermione, I've been wanting to talk to you, but I haven't worked up the nerve."

Hermione's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What do you want to talk about?"

Ginny sighed. "Well, I'd prefer to not talk here. Maybe we can find somewhere to have something warm to drink?"

She really didn't want to, but at the same time she wanted to know what on earth Ginny could possibly want to talk to her about.

"Alright. Let me pay and then I'll meet you at the door?"

Ginny nodded and turned around, making a beeline for the front door of the shop.

Hermione sighed and moved toward to counter, placing her books down and smiling at the saleswoman.

"Will this be all, dear?"

"Yes, mam."

Too quickly she was rung up and with her books in a paper bag she made her way to where Ginny stood.

Silently they walked, until the redhead pointed to a small cafe. "Is that okay?"

Hermione hadn't been there before, but she didn't really plan on getting anything. Her stomach was in knots and she didn't want to risk eating or drinking anything that could make it worse.

After they had been seated and Ginny had order a hot cocoa she drew in a breath. "Hermione, I just wanted to talk to you about what was said the last time we really spoke."

Somehow she knew that's what she was going to want to talk about. She knew people were confused as to why she no longer seemed to talk to either Ginny or Harry, but the reason was pretty simple - Ginny had accused her of trying to tear Ron and Lavender apart.

She had, of course, raged against the accusation. Harry had been caught in the crossfire and not wanting to choose any side that wasn't his wife's had stayed away from Hermione.

It had hurt. It had hurt _a lot._

"Okay."

"I know that I may have overstepped my boundaries. Harry has been telling me for the last three months to talk to you and sort it out, but I didn't know how to even start."

"You made your opinion of me pretty clear that night, Ginny. Why would I believe that you've changed your mind?"

They both sat there, staring at each other until the waitress came with Ginny's drink and broke up the tension.

"I was wrong. Lavender had become my friend and then when Ron proposed she was going to become my sister. She felt like you were going to tear her and Ron apart and I jumped to her defense."

" _I was your friend!"_ Hermione clenched her teeth together to keep herself from yelling.

"I know! I was wrong and after I said it I didn't know how to take it back!"

Hermione shut her eyes and tried to fight back tears. It had cut her so deeply to lose her only good female friend when she needed her the most. Then, to think that Ginny thought that she was trying to come between Lavender and Ron? Lavender had come between them!

"Are you really sorry, or do you just feel guilty now that you've been proven wrong?"

Ginny flushed. "I _am_ sorry."

Hermione presses her lips together in a line. What could she do now? Forgive the woman? Let it go and welcome her back as a friend? Tell her to get lost?

After a long while she finally said, "I forgive you, but I don't know if I can forget. We've been through so much together and for you to just brush me aside like that will take time for me to forget about."

Ginny nodded and looked down at her untouched drink. "That's your right."

Anger surged through Hermione again and she tried to let it go. "It is, just as your behavior was your right. You can't expect me to welcome you back with open arms, Ginny. You cut me deeply during a time when I really needed your support, but instead you tried to belittle me and make me out to be some type of whore."

"I never thought you were a whore, Hermione, just in love with my brother."

"I was, but thankfully all of those feelings have long since past." There was freedom in her words, in knowing that Ron no longer had any hold over her.

She got up and picked up her bag of books. "Thank you for apologizing, Ginny. Maybe one day we can move past this."

Ginny gave her a nod and then she left, bracing herself for the piercing cold. She quickly made her way to the apparition point and popped home, bursting into tears as soon as she found herself in her living room.

She made her way to her room and laid down after taking her robe off and laying the books in the floor. It had been too much too soon and now she was emotionally exhausted.

She had felt so dirty after allowing Ron to use her the way he had, and then when Ginny had accused her of trying to get Ron away from Lavender she had felt like it was the last straw.

It seemed that no one would ever really know the truth, that Lavender had taken Ron away from _her_ , but she had to move past that. She now had a different life with a man who actually treated her like she was worth something, instead of someone to hide.

After their wedding she was _never_ going to hide again.

..00..

 **It felt so weird writing about Christmas during June - especially since I spent the majority of the afternoon outside and got even got sunburnt :(**

 **So there you have it! The reason why Hermione isn't close to Ginny or Harry anymore. Their issues still aren't resolved and you can be sure that they'll be popping up again soon!**

 **Next chapter will be their wedding and honeymoon! I'm still debating on how close I want them to get during their honeymoon, so let me know what you think? I've loved all y'alls feedback about if Ron should know the truth about the baby, so thank you to everyone who left a review about your opinion!**

 **Until next time!**

 ***Mauh!***


	8. Chapter 8

**Normally I don't include the music I feel would go well with the chapters, but I can't help but hint that Die a Happy Man by Thomas Rhett is pretty perfect. In my option, at least ;)**

 **Okay, onward with the story!**

..00..

She wanted to say the her wedding was beautiful, but she had been such a bundle of nerves that it had all been a big blur.

It had been just the two of them and the ministry official, which she knew most would find horribly underwhelming, but she found rather sweet. It wasn't like either of them had many friends and those they did have didn't know about their relationship. Perhaps when they came back from their honeymoon they could have a small reception, but for now they had all they wanted.

Draco's parents had sent a gift, surprising her. She hadn't known that Draco had even told his mom and dad, but the small cradle had shown her that he had. When she asked about it he had simply said that they believed that it was his biological child and they wanted him to take responsibility.

"Actually, Mum said they only thing that would hurt me by you having my child would be me not marrying you. 'Malfoy's don't have bastards, Draco dear' is actually what she said." He had told her while laughing, and she knew that even though he wasn't close to his parents their support meant more to him than he would ever let on.

So they stood together and took their vows, him in a dark grey suit and her in a tea length satin gown. They had arranged for photos afterwards, so she once again put a glamour on her stomach. She had the suspicion that Draco didn't want her to, but they both knew the time would soon come when the world knew of the child growing in her belly.

Posing next to her now husband - the idea still didn't seem real to her - proved to be taxing. She was getting so close to the end of her pregnancy that she was starting to have back pain from standing too long. After a half hour of pictures she stood on her tip toes to whisper to Draco. "How much longer?"

He looked down at her. "We can leave anytime."

Grinning she gave him a peck on the cheek. "Then let's leave now."

They made their way to the photographer and let her know they would be leaving; Hermione tried to ignore the knowing from the woman gave them.

Thankfully they had already sent their luggage to the house, so they appraited straight to Italy. The sensation still made her queasy, but thankfully the nausea passed after a few moments of her feet landing on the floor. Draco kept his arm around her until he knew that she wouldn't fall over and the sight of the platinum band around his ring finger sent an odd feeling to her stomach.

 _I'm married to Draco Malfoy. I'm now Hermione Malfoy and I'm having a baby with Draco's blood._ The though made her hand clutch onto his arm tighter and he sent her a look of worry.

"Are you alright, 'Mione?" She stared up at him for several moments before pulling herself together.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm getting better at the side along."

He laughed and tugged on some of her hair before letting her go. "Want to see the best part of this place?"

He motioned with his head for her to follow him and he led her over to where there was a set of French doors. He pulled on the handles and slowly opened the doors, happy when he heard her give a small gasp.

"You didn't tell me we were going to be right on the shore!" She followed him out onto the balcony and took in the sight of the sun setting over the ocean. He came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, watching the view with her.

"Dance with me." He moved farther back and took her hand in his, pulling her close once again.

She laughed and allowed him to put her hand around his neck. Her belly, now reveled, brushed his stomach as they danced to the sounds of the ocean.

It turned out the neither one of them were the best of dancers, but she found that this was the perfect ending to her day. It felt like the last of the weight that she had been shouldering had been taken away. Draco may not be in loved with her, but he was sweet and caring. He took care of her and made sure she took care of herself. He wasn't the same boy she had been in school with and she found herself thinking that she could very well fall in love with him, much to her shock.

She looked up at him, with the sun turning his hair into gold and his white shirt open at the collar. In school she thought he was evil, destined to be a murderer, but instead the same hands that held her so delicately also saves lives. He specialized in pediatrics and she had seen first hand how general he was with the youngest of the young to the oldest of the old; she knew he would be an amazing father.

Her hand on his shoulder moved to wrap around his neck, causing him to pause and look down at her.

She really didn't know what made her do it, if it was the rush of emotions or hormones, or if it was something she had wanted to do for a long time. She didn't have time to process what was happening before she rose up on her tip toes and kissed him.

His lips were warm and his arms tightened around her before he kissed her back, one hand moving from her waist to cup the back of her head. He deepened the kiss, his grip tightening even more around her, bringing their bodies as close as possible. Her stomach was crushed gently against his and butterflies flew around as he nipped at her lips.

Something in her told her that this was too much, that she needed to slow down.

Listening to her gut she pulled away, but kept her arms around her husband. She wouldn't run away this time, even if she couldn't let it go any farther.

"Too much?" He whispered as he brushed his lips over her forehead.

She nodded, not trusting her voice yet.

He squeezed her waist and then took a step back. "At least you didn't run away." He gave her a wink and she felt relief that he wasn't upset that she had put a halt to their activities.

She smacked his chest lightly. "That was a one time think; are you going to never let me live it down?"

"Nope." He have her a grin before reaching down to take her hand. "Come on, I think there's food in the kitchen. No house elves, I promise, but there is an older lady who looks after the place while no one is here. When she found out that it was my honeymoon she insisted on bringing over food."

Her stomach growled at that and he let out a laugh before leading he back inside and into the kitchen, where the smell of soup made her stomach growl once again.

They ate in comfortable silence, having taken their food back out to the balcony, with the sun slowly dimming until they couldn't see much of each other's outlines. Hermione let out a yawn, trying to cover it up, but Draco noticed. He reached out and picked up both of their empty bowls and glasses before bringing them inside, leaving Hermione outside by herself until he came back.

"Come on, let's get you to bed."

She gave him a sleepy smile before pocket by her hand in his much larger one and allowing herself to be led from the balcony back into the home.

"The place has three bedrooms, so I'll let you look around and choose the one you want."

Hermione paused. "Um."

He turned around and gave her an odd look. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well, uh, I was thinking that maybe. Uh." She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. "I thought that since we're married, we could share a room."

The look on his face made he want to burst out laughing and take back what she said all at the same time. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I mean, it's not like I'm a blushing virgin." She gestured down to her expanded tummy, earning a deep chuckle from her husband. "Not that any funny business will be going on yet!"

"Yet?" Brows raises suggestively he pulled her close and bent down to nuzzle her neck.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel the sensations he was giving her before he pulled back and lightly flicked her nose. "No funny business unless you ask."

"Up to me?"

"Yep, completely up to you." He nipped at her earlobe before straightening and pulling her along before coming to stop in front of one of the doors. "This is the master. Actually, all of your clothes and already in here because I didn't feel like trying to explain anything."

He opened the door and she got her first look at the beautiful room that overlooked the ocean. "Oh, Draco, it's so beautiful in here!"

She was so busy looking around the room that she missed his expression as he stared at _her,_ and not the room. "Yeah, it is."

"The bathroom is through that door right there." He said, gesturing to the large door to her right.

"Are you tired?" She asked as she sat down on the huge four poster.

"No, I still have some stuff to do, so just relax and I'll see you tomorrow."

She gave him a smile and walked over to where he was leaning against the doorframe, giving him a kiss to the underside of his jaw. "Goodnight, Draco."

He ran a hand down her head and stopped to cup her jaw. "Goodnight, Hermione."

Many hours later Hermione rolled over, only to jerk awake when she came into contact with a warm body. She opened her tired eyes and rubbed at them before looking down at the sleeping man beside her, his face peaceful and serene. She resisted the urge to run a finger down his face, wondering what it would be like and how it would feel.

"While I know I'm something to look at, you should probably get some sleep." She jerked back as the man she thought was asleep cracked an eye open.

"You..."

"I know, I'm the most beautiful man you've ever seen." He gave her a grin before rolling over and pulling her with him, adjusting to make room for her belly.

"Draco..."

"Go to sleep, Hermione." He murmured, and it was as if the command was heard, for she fell right to sleep.

..00..

 **Day one of their honeymoon done! I've been taking all the reviews into consideration, so I hope everyone will like what happens next! ;)**

 **I want to thank everyone for all the lovely reviews and did getting this story almost 500 followers! That's the most any story of mine has gotten, so thank you! Thank you! Thank you!**

 **I also plan on going back and fixing a few errors and such, but it won't affect the story at all, other than make it better doe all those who are just now finding it!**

 **Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Shorter chapter than normal, but life has been insane. Thank you for all the lovely reviews - they always make my day!**

 **Hopefully the next one will be out sooner, and hopefully it will be a bit longer!**

Hermione woke to a warm body pressed against hers. It was a direct opposite of how cool the room felt and she snuggled against the heat, half asleep.

As she grew more alert she was lulled by the sounds of the ocean, as they had left the balcony doors open the night before, and for a moment she forgot where she was or who she was with. It had been so long since she had felt this calm and at peace and she didn't want that feeling to go away anytime soon.

She slowly opened her eyes and was met with the pale blonde hair of her now husband. Reality set back in and she rubbed her expanding stomach, feeling the baby kick as her hand passed over her womb. A grin pulled at her lips as she rolled over and sat up, looking out at the ocean before deciding to get up and spend her morning watching the sun rise over the blue waters.

An hour later she sat wrapped in a warm blanket and sipping tea, a good book laid over her stomach. Draco, who had woken up to an empty bed, thought that the sight couldn't have been any better.

Noticing the presence behind her, Hermione turned her head and offered the blonde a smile. "Good morning."

He made his way out to the balcony and her eyes widened slightly as she took in his state of dress - or lack there of.

"You're up early." His voice was rough with sleep and his hair slightly mussed, though her eyes were drawn to his chest and stomach.

He made his way next to her and sat down on the loveseat, kicking his feet up on the table. "This is nice, you wanna go down to the beach today?"

Beach? "Oh, um, I don't know."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't you want to?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Because it's freezing?"

He laughed, head tilted back. "Babe, I'm a wizard and you're a witch, I think we can manage a few warming charms."

She flushed. "I don't want to hear it."

He patted her knee, grinning. "Come on. Let's get dressed and grab something to eat downtown."

"That I can totally get behind." Getting up she grabbed onto Draco's hand. It felt odd to have someone be a gentleman, because Ron always assumed she didn't need help - which she didn't! But with Draco it didn't feel like he thought she was incompetent, but rather he _wanted_ to help her. Part of her bucked at the gestures, but the more time she spent with him the more she began to see the feelings behind it.

Thirty minutes later they were wrapped in their warmest coats and waiting on the cab to take them to the shopping center. She hid a grin, thinking about how her thirteen year old self would feel about Draco Malfoy dressed in muggle clothes and waiting on a muggle cab.

Life surely had changed, and for the first time in a while she found that she welcomed the changes.

They lingered in a few shops, stopping at a small cafe for a bite to eat and, thankfully, some tea. She always enjoyed being out and about in muggle areas, as she was just another woman with just another man. She was enjoying herself so much that when she felt a slight pain in her stomach she ignored it, figuring that it was just a Braxton Hicks.

She also ignored it when it made her gasp in the taxi, assuring Draco that it was nothing. After all, these were normal pains, right?

Finally, as they were getting ready to head down to the beach, she was hit with a pain and a gush of liquid between her legs.

She stared it shock at the mess on the floor, unable to say anything as Draco began to call her name. She felt him lead her to the sofa, but was in such a state of shock that she couldn't manage even a nod of her head.

"Hermione, love, I'm going to take you to St. Mungo's, alright?" It felt like she was in a tunnel, he seemed so far away.

"Draco?"

She felt him brush his lips against her head and then lift her, her arms automatically going around his neck, before the pull of appritation caused her head to spin and darkness took her.

..00..

Draco sat his his elbows on his knees, head down and thinking of nothing.

He felt blank, cold, and couldn't remember how long he had been sitting in the hard metal chair of the St. Mungo's maternity ward. During his rotation on this floor he had seen many expectant fathers waiting to hear word, or extended families happily gathered. Usually this floor saw such happiness, but today he felt like his very being had been ripped away.

As soon as Hermione had groaned and saw her water break he pulled out his wand and cast a diagnostic spell, his heart seizing when she lit up red in her midsection. He immediately took them straight to the hospital, begging the first person he saw for help.

He was so use to being the one helping, and now he felt utterly helpless.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

He jerked his head up to see Healer Wood standing in front of him.

"How is sh..."

"She's fine, well, as fine as she can be. We had to go ahead and take the baby, or we would have risked losing them both. Your daughter was born at 2:31pm and right now she's in the NICU. I'd suggest being there when Mrs. Malfoy wakes up, as she will be in for a shock. As soon as possible I will come to you both and give you more information." He held his hand out and caught Draco's sleeve. "Slow down. You have to be strong, because they both need you to be. Take a minute and get your bearings and then I'll take you up to your wife's room."

He nodded, incapable of speech. He was a father. He had a daughter.

"How is..."

"You're daughter will be alright, but she'll have to stay her for some time. Everything will be explained once both you and your wife go upstairs."

He sat back down with a thud. The Healer walked off to give him some space and when he knew he was alone he let the tears fall.


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione woke in a fog, her eyelids seeming to weigh a thousand pounds. Her body felt heavy and when she tried to swallow her throat felt like it had sand in it. She tried to force herself to finish waking, but the darn fog that seemed to hold her down remained.

"Hermione? Love?"

She knew the voice belonged to Draco, but he sounded so worried and tired that she almost didn't believe it was him. She wanted to reach out and find him, but her arm still refused to move.

A hand brushed over her hair and it helped some of the fog disappear, and she was able to muster the strength pry her eyes open a tad.

"Dra-" was that her voice? At least her throat seemed to be better.

"Shh. Let yourself wake up a little more; you had some pretty heavy sedatives."

Sedatives? Why would she need those? Had something happened?

She laid there for a little while longer, letting the feeling of her husband's hand in hers take away some of the growing worry that was invading her thoughts.

"Where am I?" It came out as a croak, but he seemed to hear her none the less.

She felt his breath ruffle her hair as he sighed. "The hospital. Do you remember anything?"

She opened her eyes all the way and took in the dark circles under his eyes. "Not really, though I'm guessing whatever I'm supposed to remember isn't very good." She sighed to herself before jerking further awake and bringing her hands to her belly, which was strangely deflated and no longer the hard, smooth mound it had been. "The baby-" she panicked, fighting to find the strength to get up. She felt hands push her back down and she looked up, wide eyed, to see Draco gently pushing her down.

"Calm down, please Shh." He pleaded with her, his voice still a horse whisper.

Silent tears ran from her eyes as she squeezed them shut, trying to drown out the feeling of being empty. She felt like the world was crashing down around her and her vision blurred as the tears came faster.

"She- the baby is alive, Hermione. She's really small and not fully developed, but the healers are hopeful. They said once you're stabilized we can take you to see her."

She let out a sob of relief, releasing the breath she had been unconsciously holding. She felt Draco take his hands from her shoulders and then wrap one of her hands in his.

He gently rubbed soothing circles with his thumb as he moved one of his hands up to cradle her face. She opened her eyes and stared right up into his grey orbs, suddenly glad and so very thankful that she wasn't alone in this.

"You said she?" It came out as a whisper, almost as of speaking loudly would break the fragile hope that swelled inside her.

He smiled a bit, and it completely transformed his face. "Yeah, the baby's a girl. She's beautiful, Hermione, but so little." His voice caught and together they tighten the grip they had one each other's hand.

If she had been able to process thoughts normally, she would have mused at how much Draco loved the baby that was only his through the blood adoption. She would have wondered how the massive change in his views had come about, but those were thoughts for a different time.

A knock came from the door and they both turned as Draco called out that it was okay to come on.

A short man, with graying hair, walked in and greeted Draco with a clap on the shoulder. "I'd heard you'd gotten married, but I didn't know that your wife was pregnant." He turned to look at her and offered her a smile. "I'm Healer McCloy and I delivered your little girl."

Hermione's heart jumped to her throat as she prepared herself for the worst.

"Cases like yours are unusual, but not completely unheard of. Sadly, we don't know what caused your labor, but we were able to safely deliver your daughter. You had to be put into an unconscious state for the procedure and I'm glad that you seem to be coming out of it." He moved around and withdrew his wand, flicking it to and fro as he cast diagnostic charms. Draco kept hold of her hand and she clung tightly to him, wanting desperately to be able to see her baby.

"Okay, it looks like there wasn't any lasting damage done, but I do want to keep you for another day to make sure nothing pops up."

"What about my bab-"

"Of course! I'll have a nurse come up to help you down. Your daughter is a fighter and is already making progress, but I'm afraid she'll have to stay here for the next few weeks, at the very least."

It hurt Hermione to think that she would be leaving St. Mungo's without her daughter, but she would do whatever was necessary to get her baby healthy. It was overwhelming and she hadn't really begun to make heads or tails of what had happened, but she was alive and so was her baby. She had Draco by her side, so she knew deep down that together they could face whatever was thrown their way.

When did she get so optimistic?

Draco rose and let go of her hand to walk the Healer out, and she took that time to stare off into space, the day taking its toll of her. She still felt numb and part of her wondered why she was no longer panicking, though it felt like she couldn't get out of her own mind. She felt lost and a million thoughts flowed through her mind and at the same time she couldn't seem to concentrate on one particular thing.

A light touch to her shoulder brought her back and she turned her head and focused in on Draco's face.

"The healer said that whatever caused your early labor hasn't affected you long term and that a nurse should be here soon to help you down to the High Level Infant Care Ward."

He touched her face gently and she felt tears well up in her eyes. One minute she was having the best time in Italy on her honeymoon and now she was laying in a hospital bed after having an emergency procedure to deliver her baby. She didn't know how to feel and that feeling alone scared her.

He wiped at a tear that had silently fallen down her cheek and sat down on the bed next to her. "She's alive, love. I know this isn't what either of us had planned, but we'll get through it." He held her hand tightly and sat with her until another knock came at the door, this time reveling a tall woman with chocolate skin.

"I hate that we had to meet your wife like this, Healer Malfoy, but we'll get everything all taken care of."

Hermione immediately warmed to the woman who spoke in soothing tones and exuded kindness. The woman came around to the other side of her bed and took her wand out, muttering a spell that produced a wheelchair. "My name is Amanda and I know the wheelchair may seem a bit overboard, but hospital policy." She gave her a smile before her and Draco helped Hermione sit and make her way to the edge of the bed and then the short distance to the wheelchair.

"Alrighty, off we go!" Together they made their way out of the room and down a long hallway. "Thankfully they put all the infant care wards on the same level as the maternity ward."

The closer they got to the ward the more nervous Hermione became. What if she didn't feel anything when she saw her? What if she looked like Ron?

They stopped in front of a set of large doors and Amanda motioned for the woman inside to open the doors. She took a deep breath and clutched her shaking hands in her lap before Draco kneeled down and took them in his. "Hermione, it'll all be okay. Just wait until you see her." He let them go as Amanda pushed the chair forward and she took one more deep breath before she found herself inside the ward.

Small containers housing sick and tiny babies were nestled everywhere and Amanda kept pushing her until they came to one in the corner of the ward.

"Alrighty, here we are. She has to stay in her bed for the charms and spells to help grow her lungs, but you can reach in and touch her."

Draco bent down and took her arm to help her stand, Amanda standing close in case she was needed, though after Hermione was standing she said that she would be close, but she would give them some privacy.

Hermione's heart leapt to her throat as she stared in at the tiny baby, with pink skin and a smattering of blonde hair on her small head.

Tear ran down unchecked as she reached out and ran a finger down one tiny arm and Draco pulled her close and lent her his strength.

"Hi baby" she whispered through her tears, "I'm your mommy."


	11. Chapter 11

It's been so long! I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long to get a new chapter out, but life happens and mines be crazy since taking a new job this past September.

Anyways, in celebration of my 30th birthday - oh my gosh it's so weird to say that! - I wanted to post a new chapter! It's not super long, and it's most of a transition chapter than anything else, but hopefully this will get me back into the swing of things!

Thank you to everyone that's stuck by this story and left lovely reviews. They mean the absolute world to me!

Enjoy!

..00..

Hermione stared off into space, the warmth of the room helping her mind wander. She was vaguely aware that there were people coming and going, along with cries from several newborns.

She glanced down at her own, surrounded with a bubble of magic that helped her little lungs develop. The healer had told her that within a few weeks she daughter should be ready to go home, but looking down at the tiny girl she couldn't help but wonder how.

"Madam Malfoy?"

She blinked and looked up at the concerned face of the mediwitch that had been with her from the beginning. "Sorry, I was lost in thought."

The woman patted her shoulder. "It's quite all right, dear."

Hermione gave her a grateful smile before turning back to her baby.

"Dear, why don't you go home for a bit? This little one will be in there for a few more hours."

"Oh, no, I'm all right." She looked up at the woman and tried not to flinch at the sharp look she received.

"Now, Madam Malfoy, you need to be taking care of yourself. You've been here ever second of the day unless your sleeping, and you're not doing enough of that. I remember what it's like to see your little one going through so much, but you have to keep yourself healthy if you want to be there for her. Healer Malfoy is running himself absolutely ragged and it seems like his wife is trying to do the same."

Hermione sank in her seat, knowing the wise older woman's words rang true. In the weeks following the her daughter's birth both her and Draco had been running on fumes. It didn't help that this was her husband's second week back to work, so she felt like she had to be a big enough presence for the both of them.

"Now, run on home and relax. Don't worry about anything dear, I'll let Healer Malfoy know where you've gone if he comes by."

Had it been anyone else making the suggestion she would have shrugged it off, but this mediwitch has been in her shoes over a decade ago and knew exactly what she was talking about. She didn't want to leave, but the look on the older woman's face left no room for arguments.

"I won't be away long."

The older woman simply patted her shoulder. "Stay away until she can come out of the healing bubble."

This was a conversation that they had at least once a week, whenever Hermione looked like she was ready to drop but refused to leave her baby. It's how she learned that Martha, the older mediwitch, had a baby fifteen years ago. Stella, as the baby had been named, was born three months early and required even more treatment than her little one needed. It's through her conversations with Martha that she had begun to feel like this would soon be over and things could go back to normal.

Whatever normal was for her, anyways.

A week after the birth the wizarding news had caught on and had been waiting for both her and Draco whenever they left the hospital. They crowded into the main lobby, where the floo network was set up, and hounded them at every turn. The hospital tried to banish them, but it didn't seem to work, so they had to start using the floo in the healer's lounge. It had actually only been set up for a direct connection to the ministry, for whatever reason that was, but the hospital had added her and her husband's home to the connection.

She wanted to find her husband before she left, wanted to see him and feel his reassurance, but they had both been so busy and stressed that she rarely saw him as of late. They had begun sharing his bed when she was released, but he usually went to sleep much after her and was up before her as well. It was almost as if a wall had popped up between them and she hoped it was only the situation that made it that way.

Once home she went straight for bed, only shedding her pants before climbing in and snuggling underneath the ample covers.

She was still asleep when Draco made his way into the room, stopping in the doorway to take in the sight of his wife sleeping.

He had come up to see how things were when the mediwitch had informed him that she had sent his wife home and that he should be taking a rest with her. He had tried to argue, but his boss had come up behind him and agreed with the older woman. He had reluctantly agreed and made his way to the healer's lounge to floo home.

Truth be told, he worked so much because when he wasn't bone weary with exhaustion he couldn't get his daughter off his mind. He keep seeing her laying there, looking so fragile, and it nearly broke him. He wanted to be strong for his wife, but the past little while had been taking a strong toll on him.

He moved into the room and undressed before pulling back the covers and climbing in. He rolled to his side and pulled the sleeping Hermione to him, giving her a kiss to the top of her head. She murmured and rolled over, her eyes opening and going to his.

"I think we were both sent home to rest." He said quietly, smoothing a hand over her curls.

She stared up at him before giving him a tired smile. "I've missed you."

He froze before sighing, "I've missed you too".

She snuggled farther into his arms and he in turn wrapped them tighter around her. He realized that in his effort to take his mind off of everything that he had also not given enough of his time to Hermione. It hurt him to realize how selfish he had been and how it must have seemed to her.

"I'll do better. I promise I'll do better."

She opened her eyes again and looked up. "Just hold me and help me know that it's all going to be okay."

"That I can do. No matter what happens, it will all be okay in the end. I'll do everything in my power to make sure it is."

That seemed to be what she needed, because her eyes welled up with tears before she buried her face in his chest and cried. He held her, rubbing soothing circles on her back until she stopped, falling into what seemed to be a deep sleep. He shut his eyes and did the same.


	12. Chapter 12

Earlier this year my nephew was hospitalized with complications from RSV. It was one of the scariest times in my life, so I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is for parents to see their small baby sick and hooked up to IVs and oxygen, among other things. This chapter is dedicated to all parents that have had to go through that. Y'all are so incredibly strong 3

Also, thank you all for the wonderful reviews! You have no idea what it means to me to see people enjoying my content! It gives me the motivation to keep writing!

Baby Girl Malfoy also gets a name in this chapter!

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The day Hermione took her daughter home would go down as one of the best days of her life. After a month in the neonatal ward of St. Mungo's Athena Rose Malfoy was finally released and declared healthy. Her little lungs had finished developing and she was breathing without any lingering issues, which both Hermione and Draco were eternally grateful for.

Draco planned to take some time off to help both Athena and Hermione acclimate to the changes in their lives, especially the lack of sleep. She had thought she was tired before, but that was nothing! She, of course, wouldn't trade time with her daughter for anything in the world, but some more sleep would be nice.

They had only been home a few days when she realized that she would welcome any help he would give her.

She looked up from where her daughter lay sleeping and smiled as Draco stepped through the floo.

"Everyone okay with you taking some time off?"

He dusted off his robes and shrugged them off. "Yes. They all thought I was crazy for working while Thena was in the hospital."

She understood why people would find it odd, and to be completely honest she had wondered why he had herself. She'd brought it up after they had both been sent home and he'd explained that it was the only thing that has kept him sane.

 _"If I wanted to stay strong for you I had to do something to take my mind off of Athena laying up there. I didn't want you to see me break down, I wanted to be strong, and this was what helped me do that. Maybe it wasn't the right decision, but I promise to be here for you more."_

It had calmed her that he hadn't stayed away because he regretted his decision to marry her and adopt her baby. She understood why he kept busy, because if she could she would have done the same.

Which brought her to the mass of parchment before her.

She had quit her job at the Ministry when Thena - the nickname they had given to their daughter - had been born. She had so much going on that she didn't even know if she would be able to leave her baby, but now that she was home and healthy she yearned for something to do. Draco had mentioned off handedly that she should start her own foundation.

" _You know I'd be behind you 100%."_ Is what Draco had told her when she had taken interest in it, though she didn't want to make Draco fund it.

He, of course, had scoffed. _"There's more Malfoy money than I could ever know what to do with. Funding a charity foundation for muggleborns would only help, not hurt. Plus, I whole heartedly agree that more effort needs to go into their welfare."_

So she had begun planning. Not much, mind you, because Athena still took up so much of her time, but while her daughter was sleeping she planned. And planned and planned.

"You've been busy." Draco said as he took a seat next to her on the couch, looking over the piles of notes she had made.

"Athena's been sleepy today, so I've had a lot of down time." She hadn't realized just how much newborns slept.

"What have you come up with so far?"

Draco reached out and picked up the closest piece of parchment and began to skim through what she had written. She hated how nervous she felt as she watched his eyes go back and forth on the page, but held her tongue and kept silent.

"So you're thinking about trying to start up a program that will place abused muggleborns in wizarding families?" His tone was even, and she couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Yes. While I was in the Muggleborn Relations Department I'd come across so many families that would love to take in the children we worked with, but there wasn't any real system or financial help. Kids are expensive and most of those families already had one or two. Adding a second, third, or forth could be nearly impossible without help. I mean, obviously I'd have to consult with the Minister on what we could legally do, but once that was worked out we could help the families with buying school books, clothes, cauldrons, and other things. We could hold fundraisers and show what good the foundation could do."

He sat there for a few more moments and Hermione wondered if he would reject her idea outright. She began to think of what she would say to convince him when he placed a hand on her knee. "I think this is a great idea."

"Really?" She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice.

He laughed slightly. "Yes, really. I've seen what happens to these kids when their families find out they aren't 'normal'. They need families who will love and support them and help them navigate this new world that they're a part of."

She gave him a grateful smile before he picked up some more parchment and read through everything she had been working on.

It felt like she had finally truly found her purpose. Being a mother, working towards Muggleborn welfare, and being able to use her ideas and experiences. Many liked to paint a pretty little picture of how muggles reacted when they found out their son or daughter was a witch or wizard. She had been lucky; her parents had supported her even if they didn't fully understand what the magical world was.

It was something she had encountered too many times in her career, too many times she had to stand by as the young witch or wizard was thrown in some orphanage and left to struggle on their own. It was no wonder so many simply went back to the muggle world once they were finished with school. She wanted to help change that. She felt as if a fire had been lit under her and it grew hotter the more she went along with the path.

"Mom contacted me earlier."

Well, that got her out of her own head. "Your mother?"

He nodded and leaned back on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. "She wants to meet her grandchild."

She blinked a few times, unsure of what to say.

"Don't look so shocked, Hermione dear." He said as he tried to cover his laughter. "Family is everything to my mother - it's why she's stuck by my father. She never really cared about blood purity, remember?"

She vaguely remembered a conversation about his mother, but she still couldn't wipe the surprised look off her face. "I think so. It's just, I don't know, surprising."

"Well, she wants to spend some time with us. I think her and father are on the rocks again, so she's coming back to Britain and to the Malfoy Manor. Apparently she's had the whole thing redone so you'd feel comfortable there when she invites us over for dinner."

Hermione was rarely speechless, but that's exactly what she was at this very moment. Draco Malfoy's mother wanted to have them over for dinner? She even went to the trouble of redoing the whole things to make her, a muggleborn, comfortable?

"I know it's hard to believe, but she's actually really been wanting to meet you. Under better circumstances, that is. Father is staying in France, so don't worry about him popping up. He's a disgrace here, but he still has some clout there."

He paused and looked at her. "Are you okay with that? I understand if you need time, really, I do."

Finally she found her voice. "I really don't know how I feel. I mean, I truly don't. I think I need time to process it all." She shook her head, truly confused and unsure of what to feel.

She felt a hand close around hers and looked up to see Draco has moved closer. "It doesn't have to be today, this week, or even this month. Take your time, seriously. I know it may be hard to understand, but mom really does understand as well."

She sighed and nodded. He was right, she didn't need to decide right now. She didn't really have anything against Narcissa Malfoy, but it was hard to remember that she was actually her mother-in-law.

She heard a soft cry from where Thena lay sleeping and got up to go pick up her daughter. Draco followed as well, and softly said, "let me."

She slowed and allowed him to reach down and pick up his daughter, cradling her carefully against his chest. She quietened down and snuggled closer to her father, and Hermione watched with a watery smile. When she first found out she was pregnant she had never thought that she would see this sight. The love that Draco so clearly held for the small baby was written on his face as he looked down at her.

"She missed you." She said softly, reaching out a hand to smooth down a tuft of hair that has been messed up in her daughter's sleep.

He smiled at her. "Yeah? Well, she'll see me plenty for the next week. Hopefully she won't get sick of me."

"I seriously doubt that would happen." She said with a quiet laugh as they both made their was back to the couch. "I do, however, think she's hungry." She said as Athena started to move her head around Draco's chest, her little mouth puckering up.

He laughed and gently passed the baby to Hermione, who pulled down her robe and allowed her baby to latch on to her breast. She smiled down at her daughter before looking up to see Draco staying down at his child feeding.

"There's just something so beautiful about you feeding her." He said with a thick voice. He cleared it and got up. "How about I go and see about dinner?"

She smiled gratefully, her stomach rumbling at the mention of food. "That sounds wonderful."


	13. Chapter 13

Two chapters in a week? What?

This one isn't as long as the usual update, but it sets the stage for the next part. There's also a long A/N at the end that will explain what I have planned for this story.

Enjoy!

..00..

Life seemed to finally be settling down for Hermione. Her daughter was growing right on schedule, despite her early and dangerous birth, and her charity was finally starting to take shape. She still had a long way to go, of course, but the plans were coming together and she had already had several meetings with the Minister and had begun to lock down what her mission would actually be. It filled her with joy to know that everything she worked for was coming to fruition, that all her hard work and sacrifice had been worth it.

Draco had gone back to work and she finally realized what it was like to be married to a healer. Often times he left early in the morning and didn't return until well into the night. She was thankful that she had always been a self sufficient woman, or she would have struggled to fill all of her alone time. Of course, she wasn't ever _actually_ alone; little Thena was always close to her mother.

All in all, the past seven months had been pleasant, and that had allowed her to think about her feelings regarding her husband.

She snorted to herself at the thought. _Feelings regarding her husband._ Life had been so busy that they hadn't had any real time to just sit together and talk. No more stolen kisses, though he did often kiss the top of bed head before he left for the day. They still shared a bed, and she would often find herself in his warm embrace when she woke in the middle of the night to feed her daughter, but she found she wanted more.

Maybe sex was too much at this point, seeing as how Ron had been her only one and she still had some remaining issues with her stomach. It had always been flat through her teen years and early adulthood, but pregnancy and birth had left her with a little pooch that wouldn't seem to go away. She didn't want to feel self conscious, but she would look in the mirror after a bath and wish she had her old body back. Her hips had widened as well, and as a result most of her clothing no longer fit. She didn't want to admit she needed larger clothing, so she made due with what she had.

So, while sex wasn't even on her brain, romance was. She found herself longing for an embrace or warm words. Maybe she should suck it up and get over it, or maybe she should gather some confidence and make a move herself.

She jumped when she heard a knock at the door, her right hand flying to rest over her chest. She looked up the clock and wondered who would be at her front door a little after two on a Wednesday. Glancing over to see if Athena was still asleep she made her way downstairs and looked through the small peephole in the door. She couldn't contain her gasp when she realized it was none other than Ron Weasley standing on her porch, looking grim.

Part of her wanted to pretend that she wasn't home, but a small part feared something had happened and he had come to deliver the news. She squared her shoulders and opened the front door, keeping her face neutral so she didn't convey the shock and worry she felt.

"Hermione!"

Her eyebrows lowered slightly as she wondered why he sounded shocked to see her. It was, after all, her house he was standing in front of.

"Why, yes, it's me."

He took a step back and looked her over, something that made her feel gross. "You look good."

She rolled her eyes, irritated and nervous. "What do you want, Ron? It's been months since we last spoke."

He swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing. "Can I come in?"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't." She felt proud of herself for that, for not letting him into her home where her daughter slept upstairs.

"Hermione, I need to talk to you and I really don't want to do it standing on your doorstep." She didn't like the tone her took, as if she was inconveniencing him.

"Then you probably should have written a letter and set up a time."

Sometime visibly snapped and his features hardened. "I'm not writing a bloody letter to set up a bloody time to meet with you."

"Then either say what you came to say or leave. Seriously Ronald, what could you possibly have to talk to me about?" She knew what it could be, but she prayed that it wasn't. She didn't know if she was ready to handle that conversation.

"What could I possibly have to talk to you about? Do you have any idea what I've been through in the past few months?"

She sighed. "I don't know how what you're going through lately has to do with me."

He took a step closer and she straightened her spine. "Did you know Lavender cheated on me? Yeah, before, during, and after the baby was born. Guess what else?"

She felt dread squeeze her heart, almost already knowing where he was going with this story.

"It's not my baby. Nope, had the charm done. Some bloke from up north is the dad. She wanted to stay, but I kicked her out. Ain't raising a kid that isn't mine."

She couldn't believe this was the same man what she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. It amazed her that she hadn't ever noticed his true character, and couldn't help but compare it to her husband's character.

She found Ron incredibly lacking.

"So, imagine my pain. Left alone, embarrassed, and without a family. Then I saw you. I don't think you saw me, but you had that little baby with you. And then I got to thinking."

She sighed, trying to already prepare for what was about to come.

"I realized, we were together around the time for her - it's a girl, right? - to have been conceived. I thought it was weird that you would have fallen into bed with Malfoy so soon after me, and that got me thinking."

He looked at her and against her better judgement she met his she's.

"That baby is mine, isn't it?"

There it was. The very thing that she never wanted to come out and never wanted to face. Her head felt light and she took a step back, wanting to run into her home and shut the door. To shut him out forever. As she took another step back her back met a solid warmth and she turned her head to see Draco standing behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, warm and reassuring, and gave them a squeeze.

"Weasley, how good of you to stop by. Couldn't help but overhear what you were talking about and I have to say, I don't appreciate you trying to intimidate my wife. Of course, I doubt that's possible, but the action is still there." He then moved back and pulled Hermione gently with him.

"So, you're welcome to come back at a later date - when I'm here, mind you - and we'll discuss this farther. For now though, it's time for you to leave." And with that be shut the door and charmed the lock.

Hermione sank back, feeling boneless and utterly tired. Draco wrapped his arms around her and clutched her to his chest.

"We'll take care of it, don't worry."

She cling to him, hoping he was right and allowing him to comfort her.

..00..

Oohh, Ron has popped back up! I knew this was something that I wanted to confront and take care of, as I don't think they could get away with never having to deal with it.

That being said, I wanted to let everyone know that I'm going to hopefully have a new uploading schedule that I'll be able to stick to! From here on out I plan to update every other weekend, which will be two updates a month. We're just over the halfway point and I plan to have 12 more chapter, with the 12th being the epilogue. I hope everyone had been enjoying this story, as I have enjoyed writing it so much. Reading your reviews is the highlight of my day (other than the times I get to see my nephew, but it's hard to compete with a baby!) and I can't believe that at this time I'm 10 people away from this story reaching 700 follows. That just absolutely blows my mind and I can't believe that many people have been enjoying reading something I've written.

I also wanted to let everyone know that this story is also on Wattpad under the username AnneWaak.

Anddddd, I've started writing an original book *gasp!* It's also available to read on Wattpad under AnneWaak and it's called Fate's Universe. It's a sci-fi / fantasy novel and it's been bouncing around my head literally for years. I would love it if you'd give it a read and let me know that you've come from here.

Anyways, you guys are awesome! Until next time!


	14. Chapter 14

Draco tried to control the rage he felt, pushing the dark thoughts to the back of his mind as he went about his rounds.

It has been two weeks since Ron had first shown up at his home and the man had continued to pound on their door every evening. Hermione tried to block it out, but he could tell how it messed with her.

"Healer Malfoy."

He shoved his planner in the bag he took to work with him, hearing the pounding as if he was home.

"Healer Malfoy."

He had written to his mother and she had requested that he floo to the Manor after his shift. He hadn't wanted to leave Hermione, knowing without a doubt that Ron would be back once again, but he knew his mother was one of the few people he could trust to help him.

"Healer Malfoy!"

He jerked his head around to see that a mediwitch has been calling his name. "Sorry."

She huffed as she held out a chart for him to sign off on. He held back his eye roll and signed his name quickly, glad to see the woman leave him alone.

He glanced up at the clock and saw that his shift was nearing the end, so he made his way to the central desk and began going through the charts of the patients he had seen throughout the day. He finished just as the time ticked over to the next hour and he let out a sigh of relief, quickly organizing everything and telling the lead healer that he would see her in the morning.

When he arrived at Malfoy Manor his mother was waiting for him, sipping a glass of wine as if life was completely normal. Then again, with everything she had been through, he supposed it was.

"Mother." He greeted as he moved closer and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. Her blond hair was the same as always, though to his eye she did appear a bit thinner.

"Draco, dear, I'm glad you're as punctual as ever." She set her glass down and twisted around to face him when he sat down on the sofa.

"Of course, Mother. I wouldn't want to keep you waiting."

"Hmm." She crossed her legs. "So, tell me what has you worked up into a tizzy."

 _Straight to the point, like always._ He thought to himself, though in this instance he was thankful for it. "It's about Hermione and Athena."

"Oh, I just do love that name. Tell me, when am I going to be able to see my only grandchild?"

"Mother, the baby is biologically Ron Weasley's." He waited for the disapproval.

"Well, dear, I knew she couldn't be yours."

He blinked. "What? But-"

"Of shush. If you had been seeing Hermione long enough to conceive a child I would have known. You only spoke to her in a work capacity, so I knew there was no way for you to have been the one to knock the girl up." She picked up her glass and took another sip, glaring at him above the rim. "I wondered when you were going to say something."

"I adopted her by blood."

"I had assumed. If you hadn't she would have no doubt ending up looking like a classic Weasley. Now, why don't you tell me something I hadn't already figured out."

"He, Weasley, has figured out that Athena is his and demands to see her. He comes by the house every day."

"Oh dear, how did he find you home?" She flapped a thin hand about. "Not that that matters now, because he did. I assume you made the blood contract as well?"

"Of course. I knew that it was one of the more important things I needed to do."

"Well then, take it to the Ministry - but make sure you give it directly to Ames Locklear, he's an old family friend and won't air any of our laundry - and tell the Weasley to muck off."

He straightened. "That's it?"

"Of course. Regardless of what the other man says, the child is yours now. Old blood laws will always win in the end. I'm sure even his mother and father know of blood adoption, so he should as well."

He slumped again. "He'll keep coming back."

"Twinkie!" His mother suddenly called, and a small house elf appeared.

"Yes, Mistress! Twinkie is here!"

"Please fetch the present I left in the drawing room, and bring a basket of the muffins that were prepared earlier." She commanded.

"Yes! Right away!" The elf disappeared once more.

"Now, take the gift home and share it with you wife. The muffins were also your childhood favorite, if I recall correctly. Take your adoption contract to the Ministry first thing in the morning, and tell Weasley to leave you alone."

Twinkie reappeared, holding out a small wrapped gift and a basket of what he assumed were muffins. "Here you go!"

He took them and thanked her, turning back to his mother. "I feel like that's too simple of an answer."

"I do suppose that your word may not be enough to drive that Weasley away." She sighed. "Give my advice a go and once the contract is filed we can discuss this further if need be. How about you bring your family by this Saturday?"

He almost moved to suggest her coming to his home, but she held up a hand before he could. "Draco, the Manor will go to you when your father passes, so please don't stay away. Actually, it may do you both some good to get away for a weekend. We can discuss this further and you won't have to worry about that man upsetting your wife."

"Mother, you know what happened to her here."

"And the room is nothing like it was before. I seriously doubt that a home will be too much for her, if she's half as strong as I think she is."

He was shocked, unable to say anything. What his mother just said was incredibly high praise.

"Be here Saturday for breakfast. I want to meet my daughter in law in better circumstances and to finally meet my granddaughter."

He found he could only agree.

..00..

I give up on making an update schedule; I seem to get major writers block as soon as I do.

Hopefully, you don't mind a shorter chapter, but this is the only thing I could get out. I promise to stick with this story until it's complete!

Thank you so much to everyone to has read, folllowed, liked, and reviewed! You guys are the reason I keep writing!

Until next time!


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